The City of Cape Town says an online scammer is enticing Cape Town residents with discounted electricity prepaid tokens.

Mayoral committee member for energy Beverley van Reenen asked residents to be vigilant and to buy prepaid electricity only from approved vendors.

“The city is aware that the scammer is claiming to be able to provide residents with electricity prepaid tokens at a substantially discounted rate,” said Van Reenen.

“It should be noted that any units bought via this scam will not be accepted by city prepaid electricity meters and customers will lose the money paid.

“Residents are encouraged to only purchase units from reputable vendors and are reminded that they may find vendors by making use of the city’s new load-shedding app or by visiting the city’s website.”

Van Reenen warned residents the city will not refund them if they buy electricity from the scammer.

“Importantly, residents are reminded that if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is,” said Van Reenen.

“Households which are struggling financially are reminded that they can reduce their household electricity bills by using less. To a large extent, the power is truly in their hands to reduce costs. There are several ways that households can reduce their electricity usage and, by doing so, reduce the amount of money spent.

“The city also has help available for registered indigent people and pensioners, as well as those who have been severely affected by Covid-19. Residents should please contact the city to see if they qualify for assistance.”

TimesLIVE